Power meters are commonly used for measuring power consumption of electronic devices. A related art invention involves an apparatus for displaying electric power elements for a video display appliance that computes both a voltage and a current being actually applied to the device as well as the power consumption computed therefrom. This related art invention displays them in alphanumeric form on a screen.
Another related art invention involves a liquid crystal display (LCD) using a light-emitting diode (LED) source as backlighting. The power consumption is indicated in an alphanumeric form using a watts-meter. Yet another related art invention is a television having a power-saving mode that allows presetting a television (TV) to save on power usage. This power-saving mode uses “area-compensation” technology to provide options for setup, standby, and viewing of a TV. Yet another related art invention uses a large green light-emitting diode (LED) display of real-time power consumption in alphanumeric form as well.
In relation to power consumption, for example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Energy Commission (CEC), other governmental organizations (GOs), and non-government organizations (NGOs) maintain programs that provide standard methods to apprise a consumer of the energy consumption of a device. Such programs include on-line posting of information about energy consumption, on-line (Web-based) calculators to estimate energy consumption, and indirect recommendations for comparing the energy consumption on a product-to-product basis. These methods, however, are not directly used with the actual device in the related art, i.e., they are not in-situ.
As discussed, the EPA and other entities maintain programs that provide some standardized methods for apprising a consumer of the energy consumption of a device. However, these related art methods are often merely “estimations” of the anticipated use of a given device that is based on national averages for the price of power. In essence, the related art information provided to the consumer clearly does not reflect the “actual” power consumption. Further, professional installers of audio/video equipment must often “tune-up” a TV to improve the picture rendering qualities. The “tune-up” process involves adjusting colorimetry, brightness, and contrast settings to match the viewing environment. A large retailer often offers a service that adjusts the TV for lower energy consumption when compared to the factory settings. Such services require reliable power measurement equipment that consumers typically do not have.
What is absent in the related art is any genuine communication with consumers about energy consumption. Although manufacturers and retailers currently are required to provide some type of paper, e.g., a “hang tag” or display material with “White Goods,” e.g., washers, dryers, refrigerators, and freezers, to inform the consumer about the estimated annual power use (“energy use guides”), such information does not illustrate the actual power consumption during various modes of operation. For example, if a consumer wants to evaluate a particular TV, in terms of its particular energy consumption, the manufacturer's data is not useful in terms of various modes of operation, i.e., this information might not represent the actual use mode(s) that the consumer intends.
However, these related art inventions have a shortcoming in that the displays are not graphical, but require the user to mentally recompute the displayed measurements from an alphanumeric form in order to fully understand the ramifications of the measurements. Thus, a long-felt need exists in the art for a graphical power meter that is interfaceable with consumer televisions, that can efficiently measure power consumption, that can graphically indicate the same to a user for streamlining the user's quick and easy understanding, that provides the consumer with increased knowledge regarding the power consumption of consumer electronics devices, and that can provide feedback to a plurality of related devices of an apparatus, such as a consumer television, for adjusting the power consumption via controlling at least one parameter, such as sound, brightness, parameters for setting a timer, and parameters for setting automatic switching.